Gautier man sentenced to five years in federal prison for selling heroin

HATTIESBURG, Mississippi -- A 32-year-old Gautier man will spend the next five years in a federal prison after his conviction for possession with intent to distribute heroin, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

Jermaine Antonio Newell was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett last week to five years in a federal prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision, and a $5,000 fine.

According to court documents, in November 2017 U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) agents executed three search warrants at three different locations associated with Newell. The warrants were obtained on the basis of information from online drug transactions provided to the DEA that evidence of drug trafficking would be found at those locations.

During a search of a property in Soso, Miss., a Jones County deputy saw Newell drive by in a van and begin throwing bags from the van's window, among them a bag containing 951 of heroin, with an estimated street value of $200,000.

Newell was stopped and arrested. He later admitted to possession the heroin with intent to distribute it.

The traffic stop and search of the properties also uncovered roughly 220 pounds of high-grade marijuana, over 100 ecstasy pills, cocaine, other various pills, a digital scale, and approximately $11,000 in cash.

In exchange for Newell's guilty plea on the heroin charge, prosecutors dropped charges related to possession of marijuana and ecstasy.

Had Newell been convicted on all charges, he faced up to 40 years in prison and a fine up to $5 million.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, the Jones County Sheriff's Office, and the Ellisville Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathlyn R. Van Buskirk.